10 Cool Things You Can Do With Your Old T-Shirts At Home

​Your closet is often filled with old clothes that you no longer wear not necessarily because they are worn out or damaged. It is human nature to do away with the ‘old’ once you get the ‘new’.

One way to utilize such clothing items is to reinvent them; make something new and exciting which you can make functional.

So let’s get rid of all those old t-shits in your closet by finding some fun ways to make them functional again.

Top 10 Cool Idea To Make From Old T-Shirts

1. Put A New Print

This only applies to plain t-shirts. These are easy to get bored of very fast. They represent nothing but the color on them. So put some meaning to them by adding a design or text using one of the many printing techniques available.

If you have a screen printing appliance or a heat press, the better. Otherwise you might have to seek services of someone with the equipment; it is quite costly to buy just to print one batch of t-shirts.

The printing techniques available to you include silk screen printing, Direct To Garment, Vinyl Heat Transfer, ink sublimation to name the most common.

You can make the design yourself either by cutting or burning a pattern on a stencil for screen printing. You can also make the design on a computer program of the digital methods.

If design does not run in your blood, then you can ask someone to make a simple one for you.

After making the design, find out which printing method is the best for you to use. You need to consider factors like the kind of fabric your t-shirts are made of and your budget. You then need to find someone offering printing services.

2. Make A Duvet Cover

This will need several pieces of t-shirts; they need to cover at least fifteen square feet for a six by six duvet cover. You will need to leave room for stitching. The bigger the variety of colors, the better.

Open the t-shirts from one end and cut off the arms and neck areas to leave you with a fairly square piece of fabric.

Stitch the square pieces of fabric together one by one. It would make it a lot easier and faster if you knew how to use and had access to a sewing machine.

It will otherwise take you quite some time to finish the process. However, you can do it bit by bit during your free time. Make sure the inner part of the t-shirt is facing outward; has been less exposed and has brighter colors.

Once you are done piecing the t-shirts together, you will need some old bed sheets to line the inner part of the duvet cover and cover the stitching work. Stitch the old bed sheets to make one big one. It should be the same size as the t-shirts that are now stitched together.

Cut the edges joint fabric to make a symmetrical square shape and stitch the t-shirts and bed sheets together.

Depending on the colors used, you can choose to dye the item. The many colors however are more fun.

3. Make A Shoulder Bag

You would most probably have to get the design off the internet; select your preferred design and details of how to piece the same to make a shoulder bag.

Get out your old t-shirts and see which combination of colors you like best and then remove the arm and shoulder areas to give you that roughly rectangular shape.

You can either work with the pieces individually following your instructions on how to make a shoulder bag or you can piece them all together to make a square sheet where you can start working in a more orderly manner.

4. Floor Mop

This one is quite simple. You need to get an old floor mop and remove the head. Now, if you look in between the mop fabric you will find a clip or wire that holds it to the head.

You need to open this clip or whatever fastening has been used to free the old mop fabric. Now, get your old t-shirts and cut them into small strips. A variety of colors would make an interesting mop head.

Now, fasten the strips where you removed the old mop fabric. If the old fastening wire or clip is damaged, you can improvise using a wire hanger.

5. Pillows

Cotton t-shirts would make a good casing to hold pillow stuffing. The cotton has got good absorbing properties, so sweat will not trickle down your pillow at night. It is also soft in nature and feels good to touch. Two t-shirts should be enough to make a small pillow while a bigger one would require four.

6. Woven Products

A bunch of t-shirts cut into strips can produce an endless variety of products.

The strips can be cut in different sizes for different gauges of weaving material that will be suitable for making different items.

Such items include wrist bands, baskets, table mats, flower vase wrapping, an assortment of bags, headbands, the list could go on and on; it is only limited by your creativity.

7. Baby Bibs

What better to make baby bibs than a bunch of old t-shirts? All it will require is cutting your t-shirt to the required size for your bib and hem the edges. You will then need to cut very thin strips to make the strapping that goes around the neck.

You can make several pieces and make a simple print for them like days of the week or of the baby’s favorite animals.

8. Floor Mats

For this, you will need several pieces of old t-shirts because you are going to make a padded floor mat which will need a lot of fabric for that padding effect.

Cut the t-shirts into rectangular pieces and lay them on top of each other until you feel it is sufficiently padded.

Now, you will need a sewing machine to sew across the t-shirts haphazardly to firmly hold them together. Cut off the edges to make a symmetrical shape and then get two t-shirts to make the cover material.

You can make a suitable print on them before sewing them on either side of the now padded fabric item. This floor mat would only be suitable to use indoors where there is not too much activity like the bedside.

9. Mattress Covers

Cut open several t-shirts and join them by stitching. Make sure you have measured the size of your mattress beforehand for precise measurements.

A mattress cover that is not fitting can later cause a lot of discomfort when it starts sliding from side to side. Fold the resulting piece of fabric and the cover starts taking shape.

Sew together the hanging edges and add a zip to the open side to make sure the cover fits firmly when you put it onto the mattress cover.

10. Playing Mats for Children

Old t-shirts would make the perfect choice for making play mats because of the different colors that will excite the kids. Get several t-shirts and sew them together like you were making the padded floor mats.

Only this time, you will need additional padding in the form of foam which you will use to line the inner side of the play mat. Make sure it is padded well enough for the kids in case one falls down when playing.

Use plain t-shirts so that you could make a creative print that relates to your children. Also use colors that will not get dirty quickly; remember it’s a children’s playing mat.

To wrap up, there are very many other uses for used or old t-shirts. It really depends on how far you can stretch your imagination. It is a creative way of getting those old t-shirts out of the closet.

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